Just Over the Horizon
by White Shade
Summary: One-shot. Barbossa is distracted by someone in a tavern on Tortuga. What happens when he goes through all the trouble to find her and then gets to know her?


**A/N: I'm writing this out of my mind giving me a short story from watching Barbossa Youtube vids. If you are interested, please review and possibly read my profile. My 1st POTC fanfic. JUST FOR all the Zelda fans, Malon IS NOT the ranch girl in this story, she's my own character, I just used the name.**

Just Over the Horizon

Malon had been up and down Tortuga too many times. She knew life sucked and that's how it was for the likes of people like her. She was nothin' but a street beggar. She'd run from the gunshots every night, still slightly afraid of them. Since the age of eight she'd been out here by herself, and now a grown woman, she had to face this fear. She would scold herself for being such a chicken, but the gun shots brought back memories, awful memories.

Malon was a fair woman, as far as a street beggar would go. She had long, brown hair with a tint of red visible towards the back. Malon's ocean blue eyes made her hard to forget too. But, even though she seemed so strong to the unrecognizing crowd, she couldn't help but cower at those pistol shots tonight. She hated that noise and the memory was worse than ever, playing over and over in her mind. Wanting to do something with her life, Malon had made little, if any, money by playing a bamboo flute her father had gotten for her when he was in Singapore. Once in a while, a decent, generous fellow would pass her by in the dark corners of the ally and after hearing her melody of sorrow, he would drop in a coin or two. Little did he know that her music was a representation of her true life and emotion.

_I can't take this again,_ she told herself and she came out from the ally she shrouded herself in. _Come on, be strong. You can wield a sword like a plunderin' pirate and yer still scared of a gun shot. Very Piratey. _

Shaking her head, and messing up her hair (if that was possible) to become even more knotted, she slowly crept her way through the blood-stained night. Malon straightened her ragged, old green and white dress which was tattered to the point where she had to sew it (very sloppily) back over her should. Actually, she debated if she should just steal some rope to attach to the dress. It was all she had and she didn't want to be seen as a whore like most of the woman in Tortuga. Although, whether she knew it or not, she probably already looked of that sort.

She sighed a long awaited breath and made her way into a tavern where, as usual, hell was unleashing. It was just like any other night, and Malon tried to remind herself, which took every last wit of herself, to keep calm. Any other emotion would be of no help at the moment or at any moment in places like these. Malon made her way to the bar tender, who was about to be smashed to the floor any minute based on the look the guy right across from him was glaring. But, he was also drunk.

"One bottle of rum and some fish," she requested, putting the money directly in the tender's hands. No one could know she had extra money on her. The tender gave her a bottle of rum and went into the back to get the fish. She stood there, nervous to be waiting. A few more pirates entered the tavern, but Malon just took note of their presence, not who they were.

* * *

However, a certain captain took more than just note of her. The man's blue-green eyes scanned his surroundings and he saw a face he had never seen here before. His crew took off every which way and he knew only about 3/4 of them would be returning to sea with him. And, the only reason to dock in these waters tonight was a lack of gunpowder. Yet, he stared at the woman for a few more moments. He looked away for a split second, but the second his eyes came back, she was nowhere. As if she had never existed.

She preferred it that way.

* * *

Malon had walked out the back, no knowledge whatsoever that the captain even kept his eyes on her for as long as he did. And since she had no idea, she could only focus on making her way to a safe place for the night. She managed this countless times and only once was she in a serious life threatening situation. But, that's only counting the one _serious _life threatening situation. Not that any life threatening situation was serious, but she defined serious as waiting until the last second to find her escape.

After eating the meat and drinking the rum slowly to savor it, she lay down on the dirt behind some place. She didn't keep track of where she was anymore tonight. Just as long as she could find her way when morning came. But, sleep wasn't coming to her again. Not that the lack of sleep was abnormal in any way, she just hated it.

* * *

The captain searched for that woman, knowing she was real. His eyes never played tricks on him in that way. No member of his crew noticed their captain's strange behavior as he wandered the tavern, avoided the multiple killings of every night at the tavern that came in all directions. He was focused on her, and he had no idea why. Convincing himself it was purely curiosity (a common trait of himself, maybe a slight weakness at times), he gave up for a while. He grabbed himself a bottle of rum.

* * *

"Alright, now, where are you?" Malon was whispering to herself. She was going to look for that rope. She found it on many ships, but most of it was fairly weak. Malon drew her dagger but stopped dead cold as she found herself before the Black Pearl.

"Thought this one was merely a legend," she breathed, once more talking to herself. For her own sake, she boarded the ship, wanting a look around. She'd found the rope just sitting on the deck. It seemed alright to her and she began to slice at it, but she forced herself to only take what she needed.

Her final slice came to an end and she carried the rope back to her little spot. Her "little spot" was a tree she engraved the word _fightin'_ into. It was quite the random word, but she marked the tree as her location. Beneath the tree, in a small dugout barely noticeable with a small door, held most of her possessions. Not that she had many. Still, she got by.

The small lantern illuminated the dugout, and she would only keep it on for a short time. No one could know of her spot. Malon didn't like people knowing much about her, end of sentence.

* * *

The captain, shifted his large hat. His pet had been playing with the feathers again. The monkey kept on his owner's shoulder and not a single person in that tavern had ever bothered to take Jack from him. Hector looked to Jack, petting the monkey with the tips of his long chipped fingernails. He smiled, his horrid teeth showing. The monkey's owner turned then to the tender at the bar.

"Do ya happen have any idea to who that pretty lass was who had been here not to long ago?" Hector asked, sitting down.

"Which one?" the man asked.

"Long hair, torn dress," Barbossa beckoned.

"O' 'er," the man said as if coming from a trance. "Yeh, that'd be Malon."

_Interesting name,_ the captain told himself, and he then asked the man if he knew where to find this Malon.

"Pfft!" the man concluded. "Lookin' for her, you'd be wandering this place all night and you may have no luck. She ain't findable if she don't want to be found." The captain got up and walked out of the tavern. _Ah, that'd may be true, but what if she didn't know I was lookin' for her?_

* * *

Malon poked the dagger into the rough cloth of the dress. The dress's material was sturdier than most dress material. You could tie anything to it and the material wouldn't falter for many years. Successfully attaching the rope to fit her length, she almost blew out the lantern. A knock on the ground silenced her action. She began thinking that some drunk had just fallen on the ground and just happened to land on her establishment. But, another knock. She drew the blade. Although she possessed no sword, a dagger would do just fine.

"If ya do not mind," the man's voice came. "I'm just lookin' for a girl that might be called Malon around 'ere." A small gasp escaped her mouth, hopefully not too audible.

"Why're ya interested in such a street beggar?" Malon asked him in return.

"So ya know of the lass I speak of?" the man asked.

"Yes."

"Well, I was just curious as of to who she is was all," the man said. "Appreciate your time." He sounded like a gentleman to her. Malon weighed the possibilities: One, she gets in a fight and dies (not a bad outcome for now and most likely to happen). Two, she misleads the sounding-like-a gentleman the wrong way and either regrets it or is thankful (not such a bad outcome either and could happen). Three, she would hope this gentlemen was just curious and...

She stopped weighing the possibly outcomes. Too many. She opened the door.

Malon shut it as she reached the ground immediately, seeing the man turned around, but he stopped. The man turned around. _That's a pirate all right, but not too bad, _she thought as a first judgment.

"Ah, that'd be ye I was lookin' for," the man said as if he caught her in some kind of act. "Name's Captain Barbossa, but you may call me Hector." He bowed for a moment to her.

"And I'm sure you know who I am then?" Malon asked.

"Not really, I was curious," Hector confessed. "I've never seen such a face around Tortuga before."

"Then you don't come here too often," Malon responded. "I've been here since I'd been a child." One eyebrow of Barbossa's lifted. Just then, Jack snickered and snarled at Malon, but she did not even flinch as most did at Jack. Malon instead glared at the monkey and twitched her upper lip. Jack ceased. Barbossa glanced at the monkey then back to Malon.

"Not many don't at least _flinch_ at Jack," Hector remarked. "Who are you?"

"I'm used to people hating me, the animal is less of my concerns. My name is Malon and this is where I live, if you haven't made that inference already," she inquired. She still didn't trust him. No, she was keener than that.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but if you expect me to just come to wherever you may take me, I suggest you think again," Malon stated firmly, eyes dimmed and half shut. The captain crossed his arms.

"You intrigue me, Malon," Hector said. "I don't even know what drove me to come after you, but I can see I saw something behind that dirt." She remained silent, not sure if to take that as an insult or a compliment.

"I would suggest you come back with me and my crew. You must have sea experience and looking at me with that dagger tells me you've held more than jus' that. Ye might make it," Hector said, acting as though he wasn't sure.

"But you may be requesting that more than suggesting it," Malon noted aloud.

"Maybe I am," he admitted and he smirked at her.

"Then I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request," Malon said somewhat darkly and followed by a small, low laughter and a smile. Barbossa was taken slightly by surprise. His eyes narrowed. He had just found himself guilty of underestimation. Still, it was somewhat funny to both of them. His arms dropped to his sides and he chuckled at this.

"I've seen you more than once, just didn't know your name, fine man," Malon explained. He bowed his head once more.

"Well then, how's about ye get to be knowin' me and I knowin' you over at the Pearl, eh?" he asked, gesturing to the legend of a ship.

"That'd be yer ship?" Malon asked. Now look who was surprised.

"Well, gotta be captain of somethin' around these waters. I wouldn't lie to ya," he said and based on Malon's judgment, he wasn't lying to her about the Pearl. He was sneaky with word choice though. _Most likely how he's such a good pirate_, she concluded in silence.

Malon did walk with him a while but when they reached the Pearl, she stopped.

"What'd be wrong, miss?" Hector asked, looking back at her.

"I donno 'bout this," Malon said. "How do I know ye won't just get me there and tie me up somewhere and then sell me somewhere?" Hector hadn't even thought of that. He wasn't intending on doing that, and he couldn't think to put her through anything she hadn't been through already, if her life on Tortuga as she claimed was true.

"I'm not that kind of man, Malon," Hector said. "Honor is something quite deer to me an' if I did that, why that wouldn't be very honorable would it?" Jack jumped off of him and wandered the ship. "Especially when I say to you I wouldn't do such."

"No," was all that came from Malon's mouth. He held out his hand, and she once again hesitated. She'd almost done this once before, but her feelings towards this captain were different compared to the one before.

She took his hand.

He brought her up to the helm and just as he took the wheel, a crewman came aboard.

"Get the most of the crew! We got the powder, as I see from yer hands. Get it below," Hector commanded.

"Aye, Captain," the man said, rolling the barrels down the to the lower deck and running back up to get the rest. He did this at a quick pace she noticed. Then, never forgetting the order, he ran into the tavern.

"We'll be out before the sun is over the horizon," he reassured her.

She stood on the deck, inhaling the spray of the ocean like she never had before. A different feeling consumed her from the deck. The sense of adventure and the thrill of the ocean overcame her. Malon's eyes closed as the captain watched her, her hair was slowly picked up by the winds, he realized her presence giving off a different feeling from him as well.

* * *

The crew finally assembled and the ship was set out for the waters once again. He'd been right, about 3/4 of the crew was actually there. The Black Pearl made her way out of the ports of Tortuga.

When the island could no longer be seen, Malon looked to the captain, who was reading the compass in his hands, that monkey back on his shoulder. The moon that was high in the sky was slowly dropping. When the crew had gone to the forecastle, most of them drunk, the ship's anchor was put down for the night. Malon stayed on the deck and so did Hector. She walked the deck, observing the legendary ship.

She almost couldn't believe it.

With the moon having now completely disappeared, Hector took what Jack Sparrow would call "an opportune moment". He liked her (and more than just like after they had talked) and he didn't know what she felt for him. That made him uneasy, and he almost forgot what uneasy felt like. This led him to become slightly nervous.

"Malon," he called to her in the mist of the night. He looked to the east, know all too well the sun would rise any minute. "Come up here." The woman did as he told her to, standing just feet away from him. He closed the distance between them. Malon was only shorter than him by inches...

Without another thought, his hand drew the outline of her face, and she looked up at him. Her heart was throbbing like she never knew it could. She was nervous, and she knew perfectly well what his intention was.

But, she wasn't going to stop him.

His lips connected with hers and she rested her hands on his shoulders. One of his arms came around her waist and the other to her back, pulling her closer. Malon's eye closed, and she suddenly lost where she was. The strangest part of it (to her) was, she didn't care.

The warmth of a sliver of a sun hit her face. They released their kiss and she looked to the east. There the sun was rising just over the horizon.

_Maybe this will turn out alright,_ she thought.

_Maybe this will turn out alright. _

**First fic for POTC, plz be nice! **


End file.
